My fiance and I just bought a house within the last year. The house itself is wonderful, but the lawn needs work. The previous owners had three female dogs who destroyed the grass in the back yard.

With the bare patches, we went to a nursery and asked their advice. They told us to rake up the dead patches, put some 'neutralizer' on top. Then after a day or two, put about an inch of peat moss on top and sprinkle grass seed. They suggested peat moss over topsoil because they said top soil needs to be watered constantly and the peat moss would retain moisture better.

We did this about two weeks ago and there hasn't been much change. We also have some bare spots in the front that we hadn't taken care of yet. So we went back and they told us the same thing about the peat moss & grass seed, so we picked up more.

Does this advice sound like it will work? Maybe the first time we didn't rake it up good enough?

Also, we seem to be having some sort of rodent digging holes in the ground. The holes go really deep. Should we fill these holes up with the peat moss and top with grass seed? We bought some "Critter Ridder" as well that we thought we'd put in the holes and on top. We will also line the back fence as it opens out onto a field. Will this solve this problem?

I disagree using straight peat moss for seeding.....You could just use topsoil or mix a bit of peat moss with the topsoil....peat has no nutrifying qualities for the roots plus if the surface of the peat dries and becomes crusted over, it will shed water rather than absorb it....spread the soil over the bare areas sprinkle a generous amount of seed on top and use a roller or tamp to compress the seed into the soil slightly.....keep the surface moist and the seed will germinate within a week......do not apply any fertilizer until the grass has been established ( second or third cut with mower)....

As for the holes, more than likely it is skunks or raccoons that are digging out grubs....no big deal....add soil and reseed.....you will never rid yourself of grubs....they will return later in the season and every season.....why try to fight nature?....better to live with it.

Thank you very much for the advice. That brings me to the next issue - grubs. Birds have also been attacking the lawn, making little holes, but nothing close to as deep as the ones the other animals are making. The birds are making small holes that aren't deep, and there are lots, especially in the back yard. It almost looks like aerated the lawn, but we didn't. I assume this is an indication of grubs, as I've been googling around about it.

Does this sound like an issue? Or will the birds eventually take care of the problem for us? This is the first spring in the house so I'm not sure if this is something that happens every year or not.

Edited:Also with regards to the peat moss vs top soil. We already bought a large quantity of peat moss. If I ensure that the top does not crust over from dryness, will grass begin to grow? We talked to two different people at the nursery and both suggested the use of peat moss. The first girl originally told us top soil then came back to find us to say she checked with someone and they suggested peat moss instead. She said something about weeds being more abundant with top soil. The second time we went, the girl told us peat moss as well and said the moisture is better contained.

Well....the advice I gave you is my opinion...and I have been in the garden business for over 30 years...As for the birds, they are helping you out by removing some of the grubs.....the large white grubs are the ones that the skunks are digging up....they remain in your soil for 2 seasons before pupating into adults which in turn will lay more eggs for future years....also the adults can fly and so they can come from other areas to lay eggs...so as I said in the previous message....you will be always trying to get rid of them, but it is a losing battle....just accept the reality of living with nature....

if you keep the peat moss damp then you should be OK....you can also use any excess in your gardens to increase the "tilth".....

Thank you very much, Ian. I wasn't sure if the birds attacking the lawn so much was an indication of a bad infestation or if it was just normal. I seem to get conflicting advice all over the internet. Some say it's fine, some say I need to spray. So I thought I'd check.